14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has put in place a major discount campaign for Windows 8 devices, trying to bring more affordable units to the market and thus boost sales of its newest operating system.
While the company is yet to publicly announce this strategy, retailers are already offering significant discounts on a number of Windows 8 devices, all of which are manufactured by Microsoft’s partners.
According to ReadWriteWeb, Amazon is currently offering 20 percent price cuts for several products, while Microsoft does the same on its official online store.
Even though this seems to be a move clearly supposed to support the Windows 8 uptake, Microsoft’s new plan could also serve as a way to help the recovery of the ever-collapsing hardware market.
PC sales declined 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, even though Microsoft invested a fortune to make Windows 8 a marketing success.
In a statement sent to the source, the Redmond-based technology giant explained that all these discounts could be temporary, without actually providing any details regarding the company’s strategy when it comes to boosting Windows 8 sales.
“The Microsoft stores carry a product assortment aimed at showing people how technology can simplify and enhance their lives,” Jonathan Adashek, general manager of communications and strategy, Sales and Marketing Services Group at Microsoft, was quoted as saying.
“We regularly offer seasonal promotions, discounts and change our assortment of products based on customer feedback and to showcase an ever increasing selection of Windows 8 devices, including notebooks, tablets, convertibles, all-in-ones and more.”
If previous reports are true, Microsoft is also trying to pave the way for Windows 8.1, the first Windows 8 upgrade that might be released sometime this summer. The new OS is internally known as Blue and could get the first public beta in June, just in time for the BUILD developer conference that’ll take place in San Francisco.